An inquest into the murder of Brianna Ghey has heard concerns were raised about her excessive use of social media before she was stabbed to death by 15-year-olds Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a Warrington park in 2023. While social workers working with Ghey were not permitted to seize the teenager’s phone, a school panel discovered she was at “medium risk” of exploitation. The hearing revealed that Ghey, who had ADHD and autism and struggled with anxiety, self-harm and an eating disorder, was unresponsive to offered help.
Jenkinson had a “fixation” with the dark web’s violent content and was self-harming before the murder, the hearing also heard. She was previously removed from a school after giving cannabis-laced sweets to another student who was subsequently hospitalised. Jenkinson was then moved to the high school where Ghey studied, but her new school was not informed of the incident which resulted in her departure.
Cheshire Constabulary provided the source for an image of Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, who were convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum term of 22 and 20 years, respectively. The coroner’s conclusions are expected on Friday.
Following Ghey’s passing, her mother Esther has been campaigning for greater awareness of the dangers of social media and calling for measures to limit children’s access to social media apps. Fiona Cowan, head of children’s safeguarding at Warrington Council, has said that while managed transfers such as Jenkinson’s are carried out according to Department of Education guidelines, future ones should be informed by a range of mental health and other agencies, rather than being conducted solely by schools
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